STAYCATION / THE GLADSTONE HOTEL

It would likely surprise you to learn that I don't actually live in Toronto at the moment. In getting back to ~*myself*~ I moved home to Burlington and ultimately decided to stay there as I complete post-graduate studies in Digital Media Marketing. But when I was living in the city, I found myself in a quaint condo in West Queen West with a bedroom window that stared directly at the red Hotel sign that hangs on the side of The Gladstone Hotel. And yet despite living steps away, it wasn't until this past year that I had the brilliant idea to finally step inside.

The Gladstone is a boutique art hotel located steps away from Parkdale, at the corner of Queen W. and Gladstone. With 37 rooms, each designed by a different artist, and art installations found throughout the hotel, it truly is akin to sleeping in an art gallery. I had the opportunity to spend a night, enjoy brunch, and take in the hotels immense culture with my wonderful friend, and fellow blogger Elaisha Jade just before the holidays.

The Gladstone provides guests with the unique opportunity to choose the exact hotel room they'd like to stay in, as each room is so distinctly different. But true to form, Elaisha and I left it up to chance, and were completely blown away to find ourselves in a room with a floor to ceiling mural of the sky, which perfectly matched my hair colour.

The room, created by Adam Berkowitz and George Simionpoulos, is known as flight316 and was designed with 'a dedication to purity – of materials, form, function and space.'

Upon entering the room you are greeted by a large floating wardrobe, made from rich walnut wood, complete with a bench and mirror. A continuous wall-mounted railing system, which is connected to a minimal wood desk, guides you around the corner to discover the floor to ceiling padded sky mural. Centering the exquisite blue mural is a queen sized bed with luxurious white sheets, set in a frame of walnut wood – an absolute delight to sleep in. The only disappoint was the washroom, a simple all-white affair with a single stall shower, similar to what you'd see at your local gym – hence why it's not pictured.

For nighttime festivities, we hit Parkdale favourite, The Shameful Tiki Room, where the bartenders wear Hawaiian shirts and you find yourself awoken from your boozy state by a volcano eruption every hour or so. It's seriously the perfect spot to grab drinks in Toronto when you're eager to escape the frigid winter temps/mental but can't seem to catch a flight.

BREAKFAST AT THE GLADSTONE

Come morning, Elaisha and I were eager to get some food into our systems and ordered room service from The Gladstone Hotel Café. Lately, I've been a yoghurt and granola kind of girl – I'm headed to Mexico at the end of the month – so, I opted for the Granola and a London Fog, while Elaisha got the "Sweetie", a bread pudding "french toast" with apples, bacon, and maple caramel. And god damn, it smelled so good... I swear if I wasn't vegetarian I would have stolen it from her. However, that said, the homemade granola and berry compote was delicious, especially when nestled into the nook that overlooked Gladstone Ave.

When it came time to check out of The Gladstone Hotel, neither one of us wanted to leave – 10/10 would highly recommend. But with 36 additional artist designed rooms to explore, I'm sure we'll be back sooner than later!

What Toronto hotel would you check into for a staycation?Let me know in the comment section below.